Is valid "Destroy product and Receive Full Refund"? Or eBay wants you to Lose your Money or Product?

[traderusa]

I sold a product with a color "Similar" to Aluminum Foil, but the color is unimportant for this kind of product. So I put the color as "Silver".

I never had a problem before, up to today. A Scammer buyer opened an "Item Not as Described" saying that the color is: GRAY!

This is unbelievable: Silver, Gray, Aluminum, etc, is the color of Metal, and the color is unimportant for the product use.

I don't want to spend money on the Shipping Label, so I offered 1) 50% refund, 2) a Free Replacement of 3) a FULL REFUND if he Destroys the items and sends a picture. He refused everything.

What should I do? A shipping label will cost me more than the product, but if I just let him keep this item, I'm sure that he will continue Scamming other sellers with this stupid excuse, and eBay supports this kind of behavior.

[titipeo]

Since he filed INAD, you have 2 choices, accept return, you pay shipping and provide refund upon receipt, or give refund without receiving item and allowing buyer to keep it. 

Since the shipping will cost you more, I guess that answers your question on what to do. 

As far as the buyer, this may not necessarily be a scammer, there may have been a reason why he wanted a certain color preference, regardless of whether the color affects the functionality of the item in question. 

Me personally, I would much rather have the item back in my possession with the hope that I could sell it again. Why, because at least the buyer has to spend some time in sending the item back to me, instead of me giving him something for nothing, that he can sell or give to someone else. 

Good luck. 

[vintagecraze50]

I am afraid that the only way to stop a scammer buyer with this kind of case is to tell them return for refund. They may be testing you to see if you will give in to a freebie. 

[m60driver]

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@traderusa wrote:

I don't want to spend money on the Shipping Label, so I offered 1) 50% refund, 2) a Free Replacement of 3) a FULL REFUND if he Destroys the items and sends a picture. He refused everything.

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Uh, the buyer is under no obligation to respond to your baseless alternative to destroy the item and send a picture.  That is way beyond the pale of an acceptable request from a seller.

[stainlessenginecovers]

If paying for return shipping isn't worth it; just refund and be done. 

Don't worry about this person with 'other sellers'; not your problem and since there is nothing you can do about it, don't make it your problem which is unsolve-able. 

[traderusa]

eBay told me that they "accept ALL Claims for not as described itens, because are covered under our Money Back Guarantee".

So, I wonder if these info are JOKE:  "Falsely claiming an item was not as described"

https://static.ebayinc.com/assets/Uploads/Documents/2019-eBay-Open-Seller-Protections.pdf

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/rules-policies-buyers/abusive-buyer-policy?id=4374

[stainlessenginecovers]

Those 'links' are not a joke. You can 'refund' the customer and then 'report' that customer...but the 'color' is a matter of opinion so this buyer is allowed to have a 'different' opinion than you (when it comes to color). You can report (and should)  and if others do, maybe something is done with the buyer- but it won't help you directly for this particular case. 

[mtgraves7984]

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@traderusa wrote:

eBay told me that they "accept ALL Claims for not as described itens, because are covered under our Money Back Guarantee".

So, I wonder if these info are JOKE:  "Falsely claiming an item was not as described"

https://static.ebayinc.com/assets/Uploads/Documents/2019-eBay-Open-Seller-Protections.pdf

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/rules-policies-buyers/abusive-buyer-policy?id=4374

---

@traderusa 

Regarding your first link, eBay has done nothing they didn't say they'd do. You're not a TRS, so skip that part, but go to the 'Key Takeaways'. Regarding the second link, I don't think that perceiving a color differently (Not as Described) is considered 'Abusive'. And... the info is NO joke, in answer to your question. 

[traderusa]

People, just to be clear about the color, I didn't send a different color like Red or Blue, I sent the "light grey, metallic, aluminum, silver, etc color", basically the same thing.

Every color has several nuances and variations. The only way to specify correctly a "Metallic color' is by using something like RGB (#ADB2BD ), even though, there is no consensus about the color of "a metal".

And, double checking my description, I put "Color: Does Not Apply", the buyer said that the color was different of one (just one) of the pictures, despite other pictures have the same color.

So, using a little variation or a nuance as an excuse for a Returning is clearly an ABUSE of the Buyer's Policy/Rights.

Since I put "Color: Does Not Apply", I guess he can't complain about a little nuance of color.

(I'm not fighting your answers, I agree, I just want to understand why eBay allows this kind of scamming and forces me to refund or pay for returning)

[mtgraves7984]

(I'm not fighting your answers, I agree, I just want to understand why eBay allows this kind of scamming and forces me to refund or pay for returning)

@traderusa 

Oh! That's because eBay is very, very, very 'buyer-centric'.

[richard1rst]

There are some people in the world who will confound you and there is really nothing you can do about it.

I once had a key ring made from pewter metal (and pewter colored) commemorating a NASCAR driver whose name was Sterling Marlin. Yes that was his real name.

The headline said " Pewter key ring NASCAR driver #40 Sterling Marlin"

So someone bought it and then immediately filed a Not as Described claim because, he said, the key ring was not "sterling silver".

Go figure. Only option, return and refund.

[albertabrightalberta]

---

@traderusa wrote:

People, just to be clear about the color, I didn't send a different color like Red or Blue, I sent the "light grey, metallic, aluminum, silver, etc color", basically the same thing.

Every color has several nuances and variations. The only way to specify correctly a "Metallic color' is by using something like RGB (#ADB2BD ), even though, there is no consensus about the color of "a metal".

And, double checking my description, I put "Color: Does Not Apply", the buyer said that the color was different of one (just one) of the pictures, despite other pictures have the same color.

So, using a little variation or a nuance as an excuse for a Returning is clearly an ABUSE of the Buyer's Policy/Rights.

Since I put "Color: Does Not Apply", I guess he can't complain about a little nuance of color.

(I'm not fighting your answers, I agree, I just want to understand why eBay allows this kind of scamming and forces me to refund or pay for returning)

---

I have several comments. 

1. I'd be interested in knowing the price of the item vs. the price of shipping. Generally, I'm a "principle gal" and would pay shipping to have it returned vs. letting the buyer keep a free item, especially if I believe that's what the buyer is looking for. 

2. Based on your posts, I'm guessing that you don't have a return policy. Although I don't have a return policy in my own listings, I don't refuse returns when buyers request them. I'd rather a buyer admit to remorse or even file a false NAD claim than feel they have to do damage to an item in order to return it. (And in the interest of transparency, I've only had one buyer in over 20 years who did damage to an item in order to return it. Others, even if they lied about it being NAD never damaged items.)

3. If paying for return shipping is "reasonable" and that's a subjective opinion, take it back and relist. You clearly don't want to just refund and let him keep it free so take it back and claim any loss against your profits.

Would you mind posting the item number? 

[femmefan1946]

Even if you have a NO RETURNS policy you are still allowed to demand the return before refunding.

Often this ends the claim, even if the demand includes a Return Shipping Label.

But if the buyer really is disappointed (either because he is delusional or because Buyers Don't Read ™), then you get the item back and can reduce the cost of the refund by reselling.

Takeaways:

You can't win a Not As Described claim, you can only soften the blow.

Don't use "silver" (or gold or sterling) in your description, perhaps "silvery" or "metallic grey"?

A difference of opinion is not a scam.

Having a No Returns policy means you never want to see the item again.

No Returns does not mean No Refunds.

[traderusa]

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@albertabrightalberta wrote:

---

1. I'd be interested in knowing the price of the item vs. the price of shipping.

2. Based on your posts, I'm guessing that you don't have a return policy. Although I don't have a return policy in my own listings, I don't refuse returns when buyers request them. I'd rather a buyer admit to remorse or even file a false NAD claim than feel they have to do damage to an item in order to return it. (And in the interest of transparency, I've only had one buyer in over 20 years who did damage to an item in order to return it. Others, even if they lied about it being NAD never damaged items.)

3. If paying for return shipping is "reasonable" and that's a subjective opinion, take it back and relist. You clearly don't want to just refund and let him keep it free so take it back and claim any loss against your profits.

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1.  A tracked shipping label is more than $4 and if I relist it and sell that item again, I'll get up to $4 or $5 (net, after ebay Fees and shipping it again).

eg: If the item costs $16, after these 3 shippings (1st, return, 2nd) the net will be $16 - $12 - eBay Fees = 0 (zero).

I guess only above $20 makes a little sense to accept the return. So the scammers will be very happy in getting 20 dollars freebies.  This eBay policy is garbage.

2.  I would like to set "30-days return", but if I do that, eBay Automatically accepts all requests, so this is crazy, I want first to decide if I'll accept it or not.

[josephb555]

Tell him to send the item back and you will give him a refund. Don't offer him a shipping label. He won't send it back because it won't be worth it once he pays for shipping.